Garage Storage Solutions

Before the start of winter, it’s a good idea to take some time and organize your garage. Here are some ideas for steps to take to get it done right.

Weed Out: Start at one end of the garage and work to the other end weeding out and eliminating what you can. You must go through it item by item. Clients will often say, “I need everything over there” but if we encourage them to just look at every item anyway, they’ll usually find something that they can eliminate.

Place Like Items Together:Once you know what you’re going to keep, it’s very important to group items together. If you have similar items in 5 different places, you’ll never know exactly what you have. Think of it like inventory in a store.

Create Zones: Every garage needs zones. You don’t want camping equipment that’s used only once per year mixed in with sports equipment that’s taken to the gym every week. Create zones according to how things are used. For example, that camping equipment can get stored up high and out of reach if you use it rarely, where the sports equipment will need to be accessible and at eye level. Remember to consider the seasons as well. When the weather gets cold, you can swap the lawnmower for the snow blower and the bikes for the sleds.

Maximize Storage: Making the most out of the wall space in a garage is critical. In my own garage we used slat wall on the back wall for storage. It’s flexible and easy to adjust as the things you’re using change. Here’s a photo of our slat wall:

Look Up: Since space is at a premium in the garage, make use of every inch. Here’s an example of plentiful storage up near the ceiling:

Monica Friel is president and founder of Chaos to Order. Monica manages and trains a staff of professional organizers who specialize in everything from household clutter to corporate chaos. She also represents brands and speaks publicly as an expert in the field of organizing.
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